"The Inn of the Sixth Happiness"

Tonight's date night movie, "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness," is based on the book, "The Small Woman," by Alan Burgess and stars Ingrid Bergman, Curt Jurgens, and Robert Donat. It was moninated for a 1958 academy award. The book is about Gladys Aylward who was born in 1902 in London, England. Although she was in service as a parlor maid when she became a Christian, she felt called to go to China. When she was unable to get there through regular missionary channels, she found her own way by train through Russia to help aging missionary, Agnes Lawson, found an inn. One of her greatest feats in China was leading 100 orphans across mountains to safety when the Japanese invaded China. She eventually founded an orphanage in Taiwan in 1958 and that is where she died in 1970 just before her 68th birthday.

Gladys was not happy with the way "The Inn of Sixth Happiness" portrayed her because it is full of inaccuracies and she believed the romance portrayed in it as well as the "love scenes" soiled her reputation. Despite her opinion, my spouse and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie version! Although it has its inaccuracies, I believe it still portrays what an incredible woman she was and I highly recommend it.

pazt